Golf club



June 11, 1940.

A J. CHAPMAN GOLF CLUB Filed Feb. 10, 1939 INVENTOE ARTHUR J. CHAPMAN ATTORNEY Patented June 11, 1940 PATEN OFFICE GOLF o iJB Arthur J. Chapman, Wheeling, W. Va, assignor of three-tenths to Charles I. Eshleman and two-tenths to Robert B. Ryland, both of Wheeling, W. Va.

" Application February 10, 1939, Serial No. 255,605

1 4. Claims.

This invention relates to golf clubs, and more specifically to a golf club intended for practice in swinging the club.

An object of the invention is to provide a practice, golf club equipped with a weight which trav els from a position on the shaft between the head and the handle or grip of the club to a position atornearthe head while the club is being swung, as a club would be swung in striking a ball, so

10 as to give the operator a feeling somewhat similar to the feeling he would have in striking a ball, although no ball be used.

Anotherfiobject is to provide a device of the charaotermentioned, intended for use by experienced golfers as Well as those learning the game,

which may be used to learn and obtain proficiency inthe best manner of swinging the club, and especially inthe so-calledfollow through of the club. 1

Another object is to provide a club of the character mentioned which will be useful and eifective inteachingplayersthe best method of raising the club over the shoulders to begin the swing; after the player has taken his stance.

.A still further object is to provide a'club of the character mentionedwhioh is simplein con- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a golf club ,embodying the invention:

in cross section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of the weight andstop, taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

5 a Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional viewof the head of the club; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan of the head. In said drawing, in which like designating characters distinguish like parts throughout the sev- 50 eral views, the numeral ll indicates a rod-like shaft or staff, bearing at its upper end a conventional grip or handle l2. The lower .end of said shaft is snugly received within a ferrule l3 formed integral with the upwardly directed por- 55 tion Id of a plate IS. A head It of conventional Fig.2 is a view partly in top plan and partly form is aflixed to said plate, as by screws IT. The portion I4 of the plate l5 extends upwardly from the bottom of the plate and is'recessed underneath so as to permit a screw Hi to be directed upwardly throughsaid plate and into the lower end of said shaft, whereby said shaft is held firmly in place within said ferrule. Manifestly, the ferrule, in addition to affording a guide for centering the shaft over the aperture E9 in the p1ate-portion M through which the screw it extends, also stiffens and strengthens the jointbetweenthe shaft and head portion of the club, represented generally by the letter A.

Said plate-portion I4 has shoulders 20 formed upon the uppersurface thereof, and acushion 2! of cylindrical shape and formed of resilient material, such as rubber, surrounds said ferrule and seatsupon said shoulders 20.

, Encircling said shaft between the grip l2 and the head portion A is a split sleeve 22 adjustable upon said shaft by means of a thumb-screw .23 in a manner which will be readily understood. Said sleeve has affixed thereto, preferably opposite said thumb-screw, a downwardly directed leaf spring 24; l

Also slidably encircling said shaft ll between the headportion A and the sleeve, 22 is a weight 25, annularly grooved at 25a, and having its lower end broadened to form an annular seatzfib whose surface conforms substantially with the upper surface of the cushion 2|. And the lower portion of said weight is annularly recessed or bored, at 250, the diameter of said recess being slightly greater than the outside diameter of the ferrule l3, and the depth of said recess being somewhat greater than the height of said ferrule l3 abovethe upper portion of the cushion 2|, sothat no part of said weight will strike said ferrule when said weight 25 slides down said shaft I I andstrikes said cushion 2|.

The spring may have several leaves (as,

shown) or may be formed of only one leaf, and in either event the lower portion of the inner leaf is inwardly arched, as shown at 24a, so as to seat within the groove 25a of theweight 25, and thus to hold said weight in therposition shown in Figs. 1 and 3 against the pull of gravity. The strength of said spring, however, is not suflicient to retain said weight in said position against the centrifugal force created by the swinging of the club as if one were striking a golf ball. On the contrary, when the club is so swung, with the weight placed in its raised or initial position illustrated in Figs. land 3, the centrifugal force generated by the swinging of the club, will release the weight from the grip of the spring 24, allowing it to travel upon the shaft H, to the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Said last-mentioned position (if the sleeve 22 has been properly adjusted upon the shaft II) will be reached by the weight 25 at substantially the instant one would strike a ball, if a ball were being used, and so gives the person using the club somewhat the samefeeling he would experience in striking a ball with a club not equippedwith my invention. increased weight at the head at the impact instant, the user more readily acquires the act of I properly following through the stroke.

Furthermore, if a player has acquired'the the weight 25 from its initial position and force.

it to the head; but if raised gently, the weight will not be dislodged. A club equipped with this invention is useful, therefore, in teaching golfers to overcome that fault.

The sleeve 22, as will be readily understood, affords a stop or barrier, limiting the upward movement of the weight 25, and the weight should always be placed in the initial position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 before a stroke is begun. Such positioning may be accomplished either by manually sliding the weight to said position, or by raising the club overhead, with its head aloft, to the position from which a stroke is begun, in which position the weight will slide downward along the shaft H by the force of gravity, and lodge in the initial position.

Manifestly, when the weight 25 reaches the cushion 2! during a rapid stroke of the club, the cushion 2| will be depressed, and its outer walls forced outwardly, In order to permit such expansion of the cushion without causing undue strains upon the head 16, the surface of the latter lying adjacent to the cushion 2! is arcuately grooved inwardly, as shown at 26 in Fig. 4.

Obviously, the distance the weight 25 should travel upon. the shaft I! so as to strike the cushion 2! at the proper point in the stroke of the club will differ for different users, and in order that the club may be adapted to the stroke invention is adaptable to Furthermore, by reason of the I claim- 1. A practice golf club comprising a shaft of substantially uniform diameter throughout its length, a head affixed to one end of the shaft, a ferrule affixed to the head and encircling the adjacent end of the shaft, a'resilient cushion encircling the ferrule, a weight encircling the shaft and slidable thereon between the cushion and a stop spaced away from'the cushion, the

weight having a seat designed to strike the cushion, and the head adjacent to the cushion being arcuately recessed away from the cushion so as to permit of expansion of the cushion when struck by the weight.

2. A practice golf club comprising a shaft of substantially uniform diameter throughout its length, a head afiixed to one end of the shaft, a ferrule formed integrally with a portion of the head and encircling the adjacent end of the shaft, a resilient cushion encircling the ferrule, a weight encirclingthe shaft and slidable thereon between the cushion and a stop spaced away from the cushion, the weight havinga seat designed to strike the cushion and being annularly grooved adjacent to the shaft so as to avoid striking the ferrule, and the head adjacent to the cushion being arcuately recessed away from the cushion so as to permit of expansion of the cushion when struck by the weight.-

3. A practice golf club comprising a shaft of substantially uniform diameter throughout its length, a head afiixed to one end of the shaft, a ferrule affixed to the head and encircling the adjacent end of the shaft, a resilient cushion encircling the ferrule, a split sleeve encircling the shaft, a thumbscrew carried by the sleeve and adapted to hold the sleeve in binding position upon ,the'shaft, the sleeve being adjustable upon the shaft with respect to the cushion, a weight encircling the shaft and slidable there-' on between the cushion and the sleeve, a spring carried by the sleeve and designedto retain the weight adjacent to the sleeve until the club is swung, the weight having a seat designed to strike the cushion, and the head adjacent to the cushion being arcuately recessed away from the cushion so as to permit of expansion of the cushion when struck by the weight.-

4. In a golf club having a shaft and a head, a weight encircling the shaft and slidable thereon, a cushion encircling the shaft at the head and designed to soften the blow of the weight upon the head when the club is swung, the outer surface of said cushion being free to bulge outwardly when said cushion is struck by said weight.

ARTHUR J. CHAPMAN. 

